“It was the theory of the ancient magicians that any living being is a storehouse of energy varying in quantity according to the size and health of the animal, and in quality according to its mental and moral character. At the death of this animal this energy is liberated suddenly. For the highest spiritual working one must accordingly choose that victim which contains the greatest and purest force. A male child of perfect innocence and high intelligence is the most satisfactory and suitable victim.”
Aleister Crowley, Magick Theory And Practice (Dover, USA, 1929), pp 94-95.